An interesting mixture of Professor Layton and Rhythm Paradise, two series that I adore. There was a lot of promise, with well animated cutscenes and stunning 3D minigames, but after the initial luster it gets old quickly.

The minigames have amazing presentation but are mechanically shallow and get repetitive soon. The in-between exploration sections are very ugly and boring, with little satisfying feedback, as the game encourages you to click all over the screen with no rhyme or reason, unlike the Layton games, where most collectibles were hidden carefully in the scenery. The writing is also very bland and dull, there is little chemistry between the main leads as they hurry along from plot point to plot point, and the people of Paris lack personality.

The game screams lack of budget and ideas, which is sad, because the concept is solid. If this game had an improved sequel like Layton with Pandora’s Box it could have become a really special gem of a series, but the content here is just not that well realized.

Seeing Shu Takumi's charming character writing after several dull Yamazaki games is a complete joy, and it's accompanied by some astounding character designs and animations that left a big impression on me, but my praise ends there.

Agonizingly slow pacing, some of the most nonsensical and boring murder mysteries I have ever experienced, a duo of main characters structurally broken, critical plot points that go absolutely nowhere and some of the easiest and dullest gameplay sections of the series makes this an overall dreadful experience. All leading to an ending that resolves nothing and prompts you to play/buy a sequel that promises something truly interesting will 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 happen.

Lord knows I would have thrown my 3DS out the window if this game was sold on it's own like in the original release. I guess now I know what happens when Shu doesn't have a stricter editing process holding him back.

Case Ranking
----------------------
Great:
Case 2

Good:
Case 5

Weak:
Case 3 and Case 4

Awful:
Case 1

Broke: Wind Waker is one of the best 3D Zelda games.

Woke: It's actually pretty bad, due to the awful pacing and simple dungeons.

Ascended: Wind Waker is one of the best 3D Zelda games.

The way this game portrays summer vacation is fantastic. I had a total blast walking through the town, speaking with the locals about the weather, fucking around while catching bugs, and hanging out with those friends who aren't reaeeeally all that nice but you are stuck with because you are a little kid. It's very well realized, and very charming. But it's not what the game is actually about.

Attached to the amazing presentation you have a monster collecting game which is perfectly serviceable but falls into many of the same pitfalls of the genre. The most dissapointing of all is the combat system, which is way too passive and way too easy. Early in I decided not to use the super powerful moves each of the monsters had and I was still beating every single encounter, first try, with literally no inputs from my end. The story is very cartoony and has charming moments but I just didn't like the Yo-kai focus all that much to be honest. I was more enthralled with the summer vacation than all the little ghosts from this other dimension that cause every single problem the humans have, it practically removes all interesting character drama from the equation.

Level 5 often gets criticized for focusing their attention too much on the style and very little on the substance, but I disagreed because I always found their games to have really fun core gameplay, even if they were not particularly deep. Here, though, it's the first time I mostly agree. There's just not a lot to enjoy aside from the charm.

Dropped it, but I will probably give a chance to the next entries. I heard they improved a lot.

Remember 11 is a fantastic visual novel with a fascinating premise, excellent pacing, likeable characters and enough twists and turns to keep you thinking throughout it's entire run (and after it!). All without feeling derivative of other works in the Infinity or Zero Escape series, making for a relatively fresh experience, which was very appreciated!

It's not a masterpiece, though. The main point of contention for me is how convenient it all feels, or in more understandable terms; just how much it can stretch your suspension of disbelief. From the decision system; which will conveniently restrict you from not advancing the story exactly how the story wants, to how these characters behave and how some of these twists are executed it's hard not to think some twists comes out of nowhere or that they straight up doesn't make sense, diminishing the overall effect of what are some utterly fascinating concepts. Basically, it feels like a story written in service of it's plot twists, rather than the opposite. Which leads me right to the controversial ending.

Personally, it's nowhere near as bad or as incomplete as I was dreading. I was expecting a barely comprehensible mess with no resolution in sight, and it is nothing like that. The relevant mysteries get an explanation, most character arcs feel as complete as they needed to be, and while it is an open ended ending, it's clearly inviting the reader to think about it, leaving a long lasting impression. The thing is that there are various teases connecting to many of the game's misteries that hinted to some absolutely wild ideas that were never fully explored in the game, mainly because the development of Remember11 was a mess. Without getting into spoilers, let's just say the fact these plot points are never realized kind of contribute to their supposed meaning in the open ending and the overall narrative, which is the reason why you are left with such a polarizing story. Personally, I was more fascinated by this potential than sad by it's exclusion, and I was very much satisfied by the end, so I am pretty happy. Happy enough to reccomend it to anyone who is even remotely interested in it. Into the infinity loop!

In many ways Project Sekai is a completely revamped and improved version of Bandori, but featuring vocaloid. As someone who played Bandori for many years there is plenty to love here, but also many repeated experiences, with multiple characters, card sets and songs feeling derivative. It's notable that Nightcord at 25:00 and everything surrounding them are usually the most memorable parts of this experience for myself and the majority of the fanbase, considering they are the only concept that doesn't feel recycled.

With many highs and lows, Project Sekai is an easy reccomendation if you are into rhythm idol games and the fact that it is an exploitative gacha doesn't offend you. It's perfectly playable for free.